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Suspensions. They plague coaches at the end of the year because players do stupid things. In anticipation of finals games and during the finals, should players receive smaller bans?
It is a point that is continually debated among AFL fans.
We all love seeing the greats and talented players of our game.
It is what makes us drawn to it, these players that amaze us minute by minute, game by game, year by year. The finals series can often draw the best out of players and it can influence players to feats of higher glory.
Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin received a one-week suspension after he hit Swans player Malceski with a high contact bump.
Many argued he should have received more than one week, and many cited that due to finals his penalty was reduced.
In terms of how the points system worked, it should have been two weeks and somehow the MRP deemed the contact low impact, when people in the media such as Gerard Whately said it was definitely medium impact.
Should ‘Buddy’ have got his suspension reduced to the one week or should he have suffered under the full weight of the law?
If he was given a leniency, then we should now enforce rules that make it clear that in finals, and prior to them, the points received for an action are downgraded.
If this didn’t happen, and it was genuinely believed to be low impact, the panel needs to have a serious rethink about what they deem to be low, medium and high impact.
Corey Enright was found guilty of striking in their loss to Fremantle.
He hit Chris Mayne in a high intense game and it was not in a brawl and in his opinion he did not mean to strike.
He believed he was trying to get to the contest.
Regardless of your opinion, it is not much worse then Mayne’s own strike – if at all.
Mayne may have gotten away and this was possibly that the MRP did not want him to miss the final, while Enright would only miss the semi.
Do people like Buddy, Enright and Mayne deserve to have penalties reduced?
Many argue it would be best that these players play for the benefit of the game.
The game of course prospers from quality performances. Can the AFL also maintain integrity and the best for the game though if players are let off because of a ‘sense of occasion’?
It is a tough and interesting argument. I myself have no particular swing with reasons for both.
Roarers, what are your thoughts?
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